ADANI is recognized as one of the top 10 leading machine vision and imaging technology solution providers

3 May 2018/

The integration of operations technology and information technology in the manufacturing sector of the economy made companies to embrace Industry 4.0 principles and create high tech factories. As automation takes center place in manufacturing through the industrial internet of things, visibility into different processes becomes key for flawless production. This raises the need for best-in-class machine vision and image processing solutions— an area in which many companies are vying for the top position.

Founded in 1991, ADANI is a Conroe, TX-based company that leverages machine vision technology to improve living standards by means of creating a more comfortable and safer environment for cohabitation. The firm provides a full spectrum of solutions for medical radiology, X-ray security screening, non-destructive testing, radiation control, and ESR spectrometry. In an interview with CIO Applications, founder of the firm, Vladimir Linev talks about ADANI’s principles and vision and shares some market insights.

Vladimir Linev, Founder

During its journey of approximately three decades, ADANI has grown to become a remarkably valued X-ray machine vision and imaging company in the world market, supplying more than 50 different products to more than 70 countries in the world. What is your key to long-term sustenance and success?

ADANI has always emphasized on three things: focus on innovations, flexibility in everything, and customer- oriented policies.

We have built an effective system, the main task of which is to systematically generate breakthroughs in X- ray machine vision through various innovative solutions, and this is confirmed by our numerous patents which are a ‘by-product' of our evolution. Flexibility, in particular the willingness to change all the time and adjust to new market conditions is the guarantor of non-stop development of the company. For us, a customer- oriented approach has always meant a constant readiness to find a way to solve the problem of a potential client using the competencies and capabilities of the company, and not as a constant desire to find arguments in favor of extending a finished product. Moreover, as our experience shows, in most cases, it is the satisfaction of a particular client’s specific request for a particular problem that allows for an innovative solution.

ADANI has a first-hand experience of witnessing the evolving market and the associated technologies. What is happening in the market currently?

One notable development in the machine vision and imaging space that occurred in the late twentieth century is that digital technologies replaced film technology. Today, we are staring at the next breakthrough, and that is the advent of a full-fledged artificial intelligence system. In the future, we will see machines that will be capable of taking autonomous decisions.

"ADANI has always emphasized on three things: focus on innovations, flexibility in everything, and customer-oriented policies"

If we consider the X-ray security screening system as an example, such machine vision systems are currently not entirely autonomous and cannot function without an operator. However, thanks to the latest achievements in the field of artificial intelligence, and particularly in the development of machine vision algorithms based on neural networks, the role of the operator in evaluating the machine image vision received by the system is increasingly becoming less significant. It will eventually be limited to a supervisory function. Equipments that are manufactured without an assistant'’ of the operator are constantly becoming less and less competitive in the world market. In the near future, only systems with artificial intelligence will be sold in the market.

We do understand that in the coming years the most significant changes in this space will take place around the role operators play in the machine vision systems. Earlier, and in principle even now. in the one man-one machine bundle,’ the role played by the operator of a single system has been that of interpreting the images and making subsequent decisions taking the received data into account. But in a few years, this ‘bundle’ will be replaced by a ‘one man-10-100 machines’ systems, in which the operator will have a different role: the ‘teacher’ of an interactive self-learning cloud-based neural network that takes independent decisions.

And how has ADANI responded?

Any machine vision system is evaluated according to two criteria. The first is the probability of false negative reactions and the second is the probability of false positive reactions. These two criteria characterize if the results produced by such systems are reliable.

We are currently dealing with the implementation of a function into the NDT CONPASS System, which evaluates a full height projection image of an individual with all non-anatomic objects detected and classified with a high degree of reliability. This has been possible only due to the creation of an algorithm based on a neural network with deep machine learning. This achievement is a result of ADANI specialists’ longstanding work in the field of X-ray machine vision, leveraging profound understanding in physics of X- ray interaction with a substance, and the principles of its effective detection. Plus, of course, the use of the most advanced methods of digital processing and post-processing of images, including our own patented know-how type ‘DruGuard" (US 20170148187 A1).

The approaches we use allow us to stay up to date as far as the developments in the machine vision systems are concerned. In the process of implementing deep learning neural networks into our X-ray security Screening Systems, we have already begun to improve the algorithms of artificial intelligence, which is the transition to self-learning neural networks.

What is the future of ADANI?

We initiated our global strategic project for the creation of an international innovative scientific and industrial cluster in the field of high technologies several years ago. It aims to transform the company as a core of value network, which now includes several component suppliers for ADANI products, as well as companies-partners for the development and production of new machine vision systems. Due to our experience and a clear vision of the trends and innovative developments in the imaging space, the cluster formed by ADANI is already bearing its first fruits. And. we are sure that the results obtained by this cluster, and the results that are yet to be received will be highly significant for the whole world.